SARW and the Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organizations (CANGO) in Swaziland are initiating a project to generate knowledge on the Swaziland Extractive Industries, initiate advocacy on transparency and accountability of the sector and build the capacity of communities around key natural resources for self-representation.

Madagascar is rich in mineral resources, oil, gas, timber, blue economy, and fisheries but the population is one of the poorest on the continent. This week SARW is in Antananarivo, Madagascar to train MPs on their oversight role in the extractive industries. Thirty MPs, including the speaker of the National Assembly, will participate.

The 4th annual Zambian Alternative Mining Indaba (ZAMI) was held earlier this year at the Ndola, in the Copperbelt province. Guided by the theme “our natural resources, our future, putting communities first” Zambian communities were the focus of this discussion. Over the years, the indaba has observed that the standard of living in Zambia has not significantly improved despite the continuous exploitation of natural resources. The aim then is to find a way to improve the lives of the people of these communities by using the county’s mineral advantage.

But unlike the nations on Botswana’s periphery, the regime is considered one of Africa’s ‘clean’ political diamonds, receiving the score of least corrupt country on the continent. It is important to get to the bottom of diamond mining in Botswana interrogating transparency and accountability.

Behind SARW’s appointment are the various activities since 2010 to tackle the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes Region, the Alternative Summit on the margins of ICGLR Heads of State Special Summit.

The mining industry contributes significantly to the hardship experienced by black women in rural areas of South Africa. For decades, mining houses have drawn in young black men for labour, only for many to return home sick, with little to show for years spent toiling underground.